Dear members,
Now that the season has ended, I’d like to reflect on the current state of the club from a coaching viewpoint. From my experience gained over twenty years at the club and from what I have seen over the last 12 months in particular, I feel that a significant step has been made and that we have risen to a new level well worthy of our new ‘Premier Club’ status. The club is in supreme health with a very positive ‘vibe’ in evidence which I’m sure many of you have witnessed and enjoy. More parents and adults are now participating and we have a multitude of ever improving talented youngsters who are aided on a regular basis by a group of dedicated coaches and assistants.
We have more qualified coaches than we’ve ever had and their skills and enthusiasm have helped to propel the club forwards. Our two newest certified coaches, Harry Purewal and Sam Wiggins, have really impressed me with their knowledge and observations and I’m sure will develop into great coaches and help to inspire our future stars.
Firstly, I’d like to thank our Chairman Phil John whose unwavering commitment to help youngsters through the medium of table tennis over the last 25 plus years has inspired many of us to get involved with the coaching side of things. He is forward thinking, open to change and to any ideas which will benefit the club and its membership.
In addition to our coaches I’d like to give recognition to those others who give their time and energy to help our players improve and to those parents who help out at club sessions, league matches and tournaments. Our coaches are all unpaid volunteers and I am very proud and grateful that they are willing to give up their free time on a weekend to help progress our sport. The following deserve huge thanks for their continued help, commitment and support:
@ Free Church:
Head Coach: Tom Brocklehurst
Deputy: Sam Wiggins
Helper: Lee Dorning
@ Bishops Tachbrook:
Lead coach: Andy Davies
Deputy: Harry Purewal
Assistant: Chris Blowey
Apprentice coaches/helpers: Ashley Knott, Daniel Shaw, Daniel Strand
New members Nick Darwen and Chris Jones for their help with first session at Tachbrook.
Parents: Ian Beasley, Tracey Fletcher, Jeff Harris, Nilton Green and all parents/adults who run teams and transport their children to club, matches and tournaments – you are a vital spoke in the wheel!
Two other members we are very lucky to have are Lindy Myers and Dudley Turner. Lindy, alongside her club secretary duties, has for many years done a lot of the organising, setting-up, opening/locking up and steps in to run sessions at Tachbrook when needed. Dudley must be praised for his ability to make people feel welcome, involve players and taking it upon himself to get things done.
Without ALL of the above people our club would be much worse off so I’d like to sincerely thank you all.
One clear, beneficial result of our current coaching structure is the huge strength in depth evident throughout our ranks. We don’t just have one or two promising individuals but many players displaying great potential across both genders and all age groups. I’m not going to mention all individual achievements (there’s way too many!) but significantly, a number of our players have earned a National ranking due to tournament successes and this year we have had more players qualify for National Finals than ever before. We were represented in fifteen of the twenty-four finals at the Leamington Closed and again took winners trophies at the Warwickshire Championships and Heart of England Cadet event. We were able to enter multiple teams in the National Cadet League and National Junior League. All of these events, along with our own tournament, are great for player development and offer something different to league table tennis. Our two top Juniors, Timmy Cooper & Lee Dorning (who rank well inside the top 100 Nationally), played Junior British League, were selected to represent Leamington ‘A’ in the prestigious Carter Cup and, despite injuries, both performed exceptionally well in their first season in Leamington League Division 1. Many of our youngsters will aspire to achieve their level.
It’s not all about the playing though, Phil has always attached great importance to social interaction and inclusiveness and it is this which forms the foundation of the club’s success and has bred such great club spirit in recent times. Most, if not all of our young players have benefited from this environment. As an example, I was heartened recently to hear that two of our cadet girls, Jenny and Katie Singleton (not related!), offered support and encouragement to one of our younger, less experienced players at a recent tournament. For me, this encapsulates what our club is all about – helping & supporting each other.
Our membership has always been youngster heavy and as such they are our main focus but we do recognise the need to offer more coaching and practice sessions to our adult members and it’s something we hope to be able to provide more of in the future. The beginner Adult group currently meet on a Tuesday night at Free Church which has been very well received and attended.
Note to players:
Coaching itself is a skill and one of the great things about our current situation is that we have multiple coaches of differing experience each with their own ideas. Players should be aware that good coaches don’t have to be really top players and that great players don’t necessarily make good coaches. What is most important is your attitude towards coaching. You should never blindly dismiss advice given to you, soak-up all the comments you receive, be it from a fellow club mate, opposition team, player or other coach and never be afraid to experiment in training. For those striving for success at the top of the sport, you must make the most of the table time available to you. Always concentrate, try your best and most of all, enjoy playing. It’s important that our younger members realise that players often develop at different rates so don’t be discouraged if your friends/peers seem to be improving faster than you. Remember that it’s beneficial to have strong players around you so keep working hard and listen to your coaches. If you need help with any aspect of your game then please talk to one of our coaches and we will strive to help you.
Note to coaches/helpers:
Like playing, coaching is a development process, we learn through experience. I’d urge all coaches and helpers to be adaptable and be flexible to change, not just within coaching sessions but with their own philosophies and beliefs.
Going forward, my aim is to continue to drive improvement through technical coaching and enjoyment of the sport. That is, to help create and maintain a healthy social environment conducive to efficient development where players can fulfil their potential.
Table Tennis will face a potentially significant change in the coming year – a new, plastic ball (rather than cellulose). I believe that as a club we are better equipped than ever to overcome this and any other challenges we may face.
Roll on next season!
Chris Mulligan, Director of Coaching